A bitter public feud break up the MAGA motion over the vacations, as supporters of high-skilled authorized immigration like Elon Musk argued vociferously (and generally profanely) with the best’s immigration critics over the subject of H-1B visas.
Musk, like many tech executives, strongly helps that program, which lets firms deliver expert overseas employees to the US for particular jobs — certainly, Musk stated he as soon as had such a visa himself. Critics on the best have lengthy argued that it suppresses wages for American employees, whereas proponents say it attracts high expertise and helps American companies succeed.
“The rationale I’m in America together with so many crucial individuals who constructed SpaceX, Tesla and a whole bunch of different firms that made America robust is due to H1B. Take a giant step again and FUCK YOURSELF within the face,” Musk posted on X. “I’ll go to warfare on this subject the likes of which you can not presumably comprehend.”
That exact missive was geared toward an X poster with a small following. And but Musk’s actual nemesis on the problem is somebody with way more energy, affect, and bureaucratic savvy: Stephen Miller.
Miller is the hardline anti-immigration ideologue who successfully oversaw immigration coverage for the primary Trump administration as a senior White Home aide. He spent Trump’s first time period mastering the workings of the federal forms and was one in all only some high-level appointees to stay within the boss’s good graces. In Trump’s second time period, he’ll have one other high-level function, as deputy White Home chief of coverage.
As I wrote in a September profile, Miller is the architect of Trump’s mass deportation agenda — however he’s additionally pushed onerous to limit authorized immigration together with H-1B visas particularly, regardless of his boss’s generally contradictory impulses on the problem. In Trump’s first time period, Miller was tenacious sufficient that he ultimately acquired his method: The administration cited the pandemic to “quickly” droop all H-1B visas whereas crafting guidelines designed to drastically restrict this system.
So whereas Musk may be inspired by the broadly optimistic feedback on H-1B visas Trump made to a reporter on Saturday — the president-elect stated he’s “been a believer in H-1B” — the actual query is: Can Musk win a coverage warfare with Miller?
Why MAGA followers began attacking one another on X over H-1B visas through the holidays
The GOP coalition has lengthy been break up on high-skilled immigration. The celebration’s pro-business faction has supported it, arguing it brings in one of the best expertise and helps American firms succeed and compete globally. However the nativist or populist proper opposes it as a plot by cosmopolitan elites to keep away from paying American employees. Trump has straddled this divide, usually praising H-1B visas, whereas appointees like Miller labored to restrict them. (“Huge Tech is changing People,” Miller tweeted final 12 months.)
The divide took on a brand new dynamic over the summer season, when a number of rich tech figures — corresponding to Musk and David Sacks — endorsed Trump. Showing on All-In, a podcast hosted by Sacks and different enterprise capitalists, Trump was pressed to vow to develop high-skilled immigration. “I do promise,” Trump stated. He additionally mused (with out being requested) that worldwide college students graduating from US schools ought to “mechanically” get a inexperienced card to remain and work. (Afterward, his marketing campaign walked this again, saying that solely after “aggressive vetting” would “probably the most expert graduates who could make vital contributions” be allowed to remain.)
After the election, Trump named Musk and former biotech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy to go the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), which can seemingly be some kind of exterior advisory physique issuing suggestions on how the administration ought to lower laws and spending. Trump additionally named Sacks the “A.I. & Crypto Czar.”
The present brouhaha was kicked off by far-right activist and provocateur Laura Loomer final week, after Trump introduced that one other enterprise capitalist, Sriram Krishnan, would be a part of the White Home to work on AI coverage. Loomer known as the appointment “deeply disturbing.” She pointed to a November X publish wherein Krishnan wrote that “something to take away nation caps for inexperienced playing cards / unlock expert immigration could be enormous,” saying this “shouldn’t be America First coverage.”
From there, the battle spiraled:
- Sacks defended Krishnan, however the assaults from Loomer and her supporters continued, with many taking over an unsightly racial or ethnic dynamic (since about 70 % of current H-1B recipients have been from India).
- Loomer denounced “third-world invaders from India,” stated “our nation was constructed by white Europeans,” and requested “why are individuals in India nonetheless shitting within the water they bathe and drink from?”
- Musk acquired concerned, insisting “there’s a everlasting scarcity of fantastic engineering expertise,” calling this “the basic limiting consider Silicon Valley.” He additionally issued the aforementioned “FUCK YOURSELF within the face” publish and promised to “go to warfare on this subject the likes of which you can not presumably comprehend.”
- Former Trump White Home adviser Steve Bannon known as Musk a “toddler” who wants a “wellness verify” from Baby Protecting Companies and stated there needs to be “zero H-1B visas.”
Finally, Ramaswamy joined the fray in a prolonged X publish, arguing that the rationale “high tech firms usually rent foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ People” is that “American tradition has honored mediocrity over excellence for method too lengthy.” He condemned the concept of valuing “the jock over the valedictorian” and criticized American cultural merchandise just like the TV reveals Boy Meets World and Buddies — praising as an alternative the 2014 movie Whiplash, which portrayed an teacher’s psychological abuse of a jazz drummer aspiring to inventive greatness (directed by Ramaswamy’s Harvard College classmate).
As for Miller, he has not weighed in explicitly. However in a while the day of Ramaswamy’s publish, Miller posted on X, with out clarification, excerpts from a 2020 speech when Trump praised the tradition and achievements of the American individuals, calling them “probably the most adventurous and assured individuals ever to stroll the face of the Earth.”
Some on the nativist proper, like Bannon, interpreted Miller’s publish as a rebuttal to Ramaswamy — and a reminder of who will actually maintain energy within the White Home. Miller, who oversaw the White Home speechwriting workplace, might have had a hand in crafting Trump’s phrases there — simply as he could have a serious function in crafting immigration coverage in 2025 and certain past.
Can Musk supplant Miller?
Now, if you happen to consider what Trump says presently, he’s professional H-1B. “I’ve at all times favored the visas, I’ve at all times been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have now them,” Trump informed the New York Put up on Saturday. “I’ve many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I’ve used it many occasions. It’s a fantastic program,” he continued. (Nonetheless, the New York Occasions reported Trump “seems to have solely sparingly used” the H-1B — however that his firms had usually used the very totally different H-2 visas for “jobs like cooks, housekeepers, and waiters.”)
However Trump has beforehand spoken extra negatively about this system. “We must always finish it,” he stated in 2016, calling it “very unhealthy for employees.” (“The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: These are short-term overseas employees, imported from overseas, for the express goal of substituting for American employees at decrease pay,” he stated in a marketing campaign assertion that March.)
And the most important drawback for Musk and his tech allies is that, if they need H-1B growth, they’d should undergo Miller, a formidable opponent.
Trump has despatched blended alerts on authorized immigration, however Miller has made his agenda clear: He needs a lot much less of it. In 2020, when Trump introduced “short-term” suspensions on authorized immigration through the pandemic, Miller privately informed allies this was simply step one in a broader technique: “Crucial factor is to show off the tap of recent immigrant labor.”
And in distinction to ideological allies like Bannon and Miller’s one-time boss Jeff Periods, who flamed out of presidency and misplaced Trump’s favor, Miller has lasted, changing into a seemingly everlasting fixture in Trumpworld — being dubbed “the president of immigration.”
He exerted such huge coverage affect in Trump’s first time period partly because of his give attention to bureaucratic minutia, partly as a result of he may get different appointees fired, partly as a result of he helped craft Trump’s phrases in ready speeches, and partly as a result of he was unshakably loyal to the boss and savvy at making alliances with different high officers. However largely it was as a result of different staffers believed, with good cause, that he and Trump had a thoughts meld on immigration — that he was talking for the boss.
So the enterprise capitalists and tech executives who’ve extra lately joined Trump’s coalition and hope to be rewarded with their most well-liked H-1B coverage adjustments will face a problem getting previous Miller. Trump might say issues, but it surely’s Miller who turns these issues into coverage, and who is aware of the way to slow-walk or squelch proposals he dislikes. As long as Miller holds Trump’s favor, and as long as he stays successfully answerable for immigration coverage, betting on restrictionism is the one affordable wager.
Lastly, there’s yet one more twist to this messy saga — shortly earlier than this dispute started final week, Trump introduced he’d chosen a brand new appointee to hitch Musk and Ramaswamy at DOGE.
Her title? Katie Miller — Stephen’s spouse. “Congratulations to Stephen and Katie!” Trump posted.
